Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-09-01
COUNTRY PLEASURES.

Parties of any kind were very rare.
= visit was decided on, word was
n the family some days in advance
u matter was arranged by the women
!. ,ntermission at church on Sun
Kan the day came, all preparations
been maze. The boy had been over
"a for a week preceding and the
stant stimulus of the threat that If he
= attend to business he couldn't go
bacon Bangs next Thursday. The
n had fused and worried, had sat
[ste nights, and had risen on the
|nipr Of the day two hours before sun
10 yet good start.
Etar dinner the two-horse wagon,
Ia by span of pot-bellied mares,
n be driven mp, and into it would
H. BY the aid Of chair, the farmers
carrying a baby, the eldest daughter,
Ivpger one, the boy, and finally the
H. himself Sometimes the dog
| dong, bnt whether he did or not he
| /, wanted to, and in case he wasn't
Ia the boy climbed out after they
leone a little distance and started the
On q countermarch by the aid of a
stones. As a rule, the dog thus sent
turned up just as they reach the
l. Of the visitor, and with wagging
pretended to believe that he had been
r all the time and that nobody had
said word against his coming.
b. procession of one wagon moved
Nv along the road, the old mares
hbling and frautically lashing with
/ and tails at the fiies-if in season
kithin sight of the house to be visited.
i their Dropping heads were drawn
with q vigorous jock at the reins, the
/ was applied, the voice was added as
Incentive, and as they went at q brisk
the flying dust, the rattle of harness,
|clatter Of hoofs and the clamor ofsthe
|els made up a fanfare of vast and ex-
! BIZ dimensions. With much apparent
Eulty the team was pdlled up at the
and there was a look in the farmers
(which said Enthusiastically to the host
his family who had assembled at the
! 70 greet the guests: "What dye
kkdthem bosses? Whoa, there! Whoa
! g"
b acs occasions the parlor, or best
?. vaa opened, and no other occasion.
walls we're papered; there was a look
glass in which one saw his visage
|ed all out of shape-a glass which was
prated with parti-colored tissue paper,
Pinto all sorts of figures with pair of
Eois, and intended at once for orna-
i and to block the invasion of flies; a
tighten cotton carpet of brilliant pat
r highly colored picture of Mary,
'en Of Scots, and a black silhouette Of
ma and gran'pai a couple of snub-
fd chance dogs on the mantle-plece;
ipd' with large family Bible; a chest
I'awers, on the top of which we're two
pre- books, such as "The Wonders of
pre- aud Providence" Fox's "Book of
'iyIs BaXter's Saints Rest" and six
Y chairs and a rocker with wooden
pes and footstool covered with cal
and framed by the ingenious farmer.
as women folks visited in the parlor
discussed church and other matters;
Ao'' and his guest sat under tree in
Slade' IN their shirt sleeves and talked
+ and crops, while the boy went off,
-Apanled by the home dog and the
--1R one, and tried TO scrape up
'.aas1 IN the old "paster," and failed,
las! succeeded in freeing a SOUR
s'ica they amused themselves by
--s without any damage. The dogs
s'eng vel after little. At first
/ l7y met they erected their tails
1Isued and turned up their upper
ana AIRED, growled and shifted at
o'4.f IA very ferocious and me-
ilg way
u! affiliated very nicely till they
va 'he way home, when, in the old
|. Oealnd the barn, the boys, each
-s MS dog by the neck and ears,
~ 'Aem iorcibly together. rubbed
-os,'' and otherwise irritated and
-sa'sa them till their bad passions
M ,'vu,sd' and TO the slogan, Sick i'm,
ana Sick I'm, Cgsarw they fought
y. So round or two till one dropped
. ~ a41 Ai-yi'd "Enoughn' in the IN
/. ' "a. language. And then the boys
- -es mouse Cor supper, and sat
=. - ''." Watering mouths while the
/. s eating, and they groged them
a'.esS Of cold boiled pork, three
s,,, 1s1e' apple sass, "punkin" and
+ ...9 tis and the the remnants Of
lg> ofcu-tard.
sd .'ndown the old mares we're
|. ~. y. ... ana the load moved off at a
- '-i ID passed around the wood
l" when the farmer pulled his
20 g slow walk and continued
'' till they reached home.
Ia farmer o nharnessed the hors.
NJ 1'y went out and drove in the
\ winch he rode one horse and
p ihe wood pasture: then
aAa Helped carry in ana strain
s.s '.o 2 couple Of calves. lugred
3 sss. aAl to the hog pen. after
a. The Gov out totbe pas
came back and was sent TO
4 tae eotutry at that period
n9' different in principle
-.e1 prevails at the present
@ae'e- Such differences a.
aa nave reference rather to the
be a.e purpose involved.
.- steps to the regular
''iug were lnnumefabIe.
ta perhaps indefuable. RI
mel Is couple sat side by side
9s-, ai the spelling school: tAat
'Vple-bee;' OF thai any